Federal Reserve Financial Services names Kim Robbins Chief Payments Executive

KANSAS CITY, Mo.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Federal Reserve Financial Services (FRFS) today announced the selection of Kim Robbins as its new Chief Payments Executive (CPE), effective Nov. 16, 2026. Robbins succeeds Mark Gould, who is retiring after more than three decades of service with the Federal Reserve System. In this role, Robbins will oversee a Federal Reserve portfolio of financial services that includes retail, wholesale, securities, and instant payment offerings across the United States.

Robbins currently serves as the first vice president and chief operating officer at the Federal Reserve Bank of Kansas City, where she oversees operations, risk, finance, people and culture, information technology and Treasury services. She brings more than a decade of payments leadership, including experience guiding both FRFS and the FedNow^® Service, along with a 30-year career spanning payments, technology and retail.

“Kim brings a rare combination of deep payments expertise, strategic leadership, and a practical understanding of what it takes to modernize complex systems,” said Tom Barkin, president and chief executive officer of the Federal Reserve Bank of Richmond and chair of the Fed’s Payments Committee. “Her proven ability to navigate complex, systemwide priorities makes her the right leader to guide FRFS forward, and her experience and leadership will be instrumental in strengthening the nation’s payments infrastructure and advancing the Fed’s long-term vision for the future of payments.”

Robbins noted that she is enthusiastic about the opportunity ahead and eager to build on the momentum FRFS has established.

“It’s an honor to step into this role at such a transformative time for the payments industry,” she said. “My career has been rooted in operational excellence and partnership, from leading development of FRFS’s 10-year strategic vision to scaling the FedNow Service. I'm focused on strengthening collaboration, upholding a customer-first mindset, and driving our business forward through strategic modernization to help evolve the services that financial institutions, businesses and consumers rely on every day.”

Robbins’ prior FRFS leadership includes serving as chief of enterprise services and as executive vice president, where she oversaw enterprise strategy, finance, risk, data, compliance and legal operations. Before that, as chief administrative officer and senior vice president for the FedNow Service, she led enterprise administrative functions supporting the program’s rapid scale-up across multiple Federal Reserve Banks, strengthening the governance, risk, compliance and legal structures required to launch and operate a nationwide instant payment service. Earlier in her career, Robbins spent seven years in global retail at GAP Inc. and Payless ShoeSource, managing multimillion-dollar business lines.

About Federal Reserve Financial Services

FRFS provides payment services and seeks to foster the stability, integrity and efficiency of the nation’s monetary, financial and payment systems. It offers a comprehensive suite of payment and information services to financial institutions. Visit FRBservices.org^® for additional information.